BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

CLEAR FORK, W.Va. — The Tug Valley Panthers, ranked No. 6 in Class A, made the long trip down to Wyoming County to take on the Class AA Westside Renegades on a wet, cool Friday night. After the Renegades kept it close in the first half, the Panthers pulled away to win 49-27.

It was the seventh straight win for Tug Valley after losing the season opener.

Quarterback Preston May had another good game through the air. The freshman completed 14-26 passes for 260 yards, four touchdowns and only one interception.

Cameron Slone, another ninth grader, had seven receptions for 139 yards and three TDs. Junior Brady Brewer hauled in three passes for 53 yards. Senior Buddy Marcum had the other touchdown reception, a 44-yard pass from May for TVHS.

Sophomore Bryson Elia continues to play well on both sides of the football. He had 126 yards on the ground on 25 carries and three touchdowns. He also had six tackles on defense and an interception.

Cameron Slone had two early TDs for Coach Hady Ford’s squad to help keep the game close.

With the game tied 14-14, the Renegades took the lead on a long scoring pass with 1:49 left in the first half. The extra point gave the home team a 21-14 lead.

Westside took over after a punt by Tug Valley but fumbled inside their own 10-yard line. The Panthers recovered it and took it to the 3-yard line. Two plays later Tug Valley scored on a run by Elia. The point-after was blocked, but Tug cut the lead to 21-20 with six seconds left in the half.

Tug Valley kicked off to Westside to start the second half. The first drive by the Renegades was stopped on a diving interception by Elia.

Preston May hit Adam Slone on a screen pass for a TD to give the Panthers the lead. The conversion pass to Buddy Marcum gave TVHS a 28-21 lead.

A strong defensive stand forced the Renegades to punt. TV blocked it, and the Panthers took over with excellent field position. However, May threw an interception in the end zone and the home team took over on their own 20-yard line.

Tug Valley increased its lead to 35-21 with 3:57 left in the third as Buddy Marcum took a pass to the house. The conversion failed, but TV started getting good momentum at this point.

After another tough defensive stand, Tug took over near midfield. May hit No. 2 at the 20-yard line. The drive ended with Elia scoring on a 4-yard sweep to the left side. The conversion kick by Aiden Bosserman made it 42-21 with 1:26 left in the third quarter.

Tug Valley continued to dominate in the final quarter. After another Panther interception by Gavin Fitzpatrick on the next Westside offensive possession, Elia went untouched into the end zone for another Panther TD with under 6:00 left in the game. The point-after kick by Bosserman made it 49-21.

Westside got a late TD on a pass to the tight end to set the final score.

Dakoda Walker led the Panthers on defense with nine tackles, while Adam Slone had seven, and Austin Smith, Luke Bartram and Elia each had six stops. Smith also had an interception and four sacks. Bartram had a pair of sacks for the tough Panther defense.

“We started out a little slower than we would have liked. Right before the half, Smith picked up a loose ball and returned it within the 5, allowing us to close the gap before halftime,” Tug Valley assistant coach Noah Lucas said. “Starting the third quarter we came out and played with grit. We scored 21 points in the third quarter. Preston made some good plays offensively and Cameron Slone had his best game of the season last night. Cam was the leading receiver and had an interception defensively. In the second half our defense stepped up, allowing only one more score coming late in the fourth quarter. We were able to get the pressure we had been missing by our defensive ends Austin Smith and Davis, who combined for five sacks.”

Lucas added, “We just have to keep getting better and get ready for Man next week.”

Tug Valley will travel to Man (6-2) this Friday for an important contest that will help decide the seeding for the Class A playoffs, which are right around the corner. Contests between Man and Tug Valley in the last few seasons have become a heated rivalry. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at George A. Queen Memorial Field.

SCORES BY QUARTERS
Tug Valley: 7 13 22 7 – 49
Westside: 14 7 0 6 – 27